Trail 19 is a quarter-mile path skillfully completed by volunteers and is open to all non-motorized visitors.

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A few dozen riders took to the dirt on Saturday during the celebration.

According to Eric Morgan, manager of the national monument, the trail will bring in more visitors to the area.

“I started here in 1999. I think our visitation was close to 30,000 to 40,000 annual visitors,” Morgan said. “Now that we are a national monument, it’s up to 400,000.”

With that many visitors, Fort Ord looks to the community for help, which saves on labor costs.

“Close to 10,000 hours of volunteer work (has been) done on the national monument, (a) value of close to $200,000,” Morgan said.

It’s just not about the creation of new trails but it’s about the maintenance of all trails that is most important to these groups.

“Eighty miles is a lot of ground to cover on weeknight rides,” said Joel Trice, president of Monterey Off Road Cycling Association. “We will come out with clippers and shears and hit a sections of trails head that way. Everybody does a bunch of trimming.”

The future is expected to be bright for continued improvements as there is a youth movement starting in the surrounding area.

“Salinas High, Palma High (and) even independent study kids are on a mountain bike teams now. The kids are loving it,” Trice said. “They are taking to it. All kind of kids can participate in it and they are also teaching the kids to give back. This is giving back when they can help build the trails and work on the trails.”

During the clearing of the trail, many of the volunteers encountered poison oak, but it didn't stop them from returning to help.